Blog Posts From Identification Tagged With spiderhttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/community/identification/blog
Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:57:25 GMTJive SBS 4.5.6.0 (http://jivesoftware.com/products/clearspace/)2012-01-19T14:57:25ZTo everything there is a seasonhttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/community/identification/blog/2012/01/19/to-everything-there-is-a-season
<!-- [DocumentBodyStart:df9b7ccf-151a-44eb-b4f8-32f99fcc1b9d] --><div class="jive-rendered-content"><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal">Here in the identification service we don&rsquo;t need a diary or calendar to know what time of year it is, in fact we don&rsquo;t even have to look out of the window!<span>&#160; </span>We can tell the time of year by trends in the enquiries we get by email, phone, through the post or on our forum.<span>&#160; </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal">Many species of insect have a lifecycle that lasts for a year, with the larvae or nymphs around in one season, and the adults around in another.<span>&#160; </span>Last year we blogged about the amazing bee fly and how it is a sure sign that spring is on the way, but it&rsquo;s not the only enquiry with a strong seasonal distribution.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal">I searched our database and the forum for enquiries right back through the mists of time to 1992 to collect data on 3 of our common seasonal species &ndash; bee flies (<em>Bombylius sp</em>.), the excellently named cockchafer (<em>Melolontha melolontha</em>) and house spiders (<em>Tegenaria sp</em>.).<span>&#160; </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-2187-27719/seasonal+enquiries.JPG"><img alt="seasonal enquiries.JPG" class="jive-image" height="282" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-2187-27719/450-282/seasonal+enquiries.JPG" width="450"/></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Bee flies</strong></p><p class="MsoNormal">These amazing little critters are around in April and May making the most of the spring flowers.<span>&#160; </span>The two species we see most often are the common bee fly (<em>Bombylius major</em>, see picture) and the dotted bee fly (<em>Bombylius discolour</em>).<span>&#160; </span>They have a fascinating life cycle and you can find out more about them here -</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br/></span></p><p><ul><li><a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/biodiversity/loss-of-habitat/bombylius-major/index.html">http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/biodiversity/loss-of-habitat/bombylius-major/index.html</a></li><li><a class="jive-link-blog-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/community/identification/blog/2011/04/07/body-of-a-bee-face-of-a-mosquito--spring-is-in-the-air">http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/community/identification/blog/2011/04/07/body-of-a-bee-face-of-a-mosquito--spring-is-in-the-air</a></li><li><a class="jive-link-blog-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/diptera-blog/2011/04/12/beeflies">http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/diptera-blog/2011/04/12/beeflies</a></li></ul></p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-2187-27721/Bombylius+major+2.JPG"><img alt="Bombylius major 2.JPG" class="jive-image-thumbnail jive-image" height="336" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-2187-27721/450-336/Bombylius+major+2.JPG" width="450"/></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Cockchafers</strong></p><p class="MsoNormal">No, we didn&rsquo;t make that name up, the common English name for <em>Melolontha melolontha</em> is indeed the cockchafer.<span>&#160; </span>Although they are beetles they are also commonly called May bugs, and you can see why from the graph above.<span>&#160; </span>These large beetles emerge as adults in May or June after living in the soil as larvae for 3-5 years. They are strong though inelegant fliers and are attracted to light, meaning they often fly through open windows and gatecrash evening barbeques!<span>&#160; </span>But don&rsquo;t worry; they are not harmful to humans.&#160; Find out more here&#160; -</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/insects-spiders/common-bugs/cockchafer/index.html">http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/insects-spiders/common-bugs/cockchafer/index.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-2187-27722/2011-0759+Melolontha+melolontha+DSC_0121.jpg"><img alt="2011-0759 Melolontha melolontha DSC_0121.jpg" class="jive-image-thumbnail jive-image" height="405" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-2187-27722/450-405/2011-0759+Melolontha+melolontha+DSC_0121.jpg" width="450"/></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong>House spiders</strong></p><p class="MsoNormal">There are several species of common house spider in the UK which are difficult to tell apart.<span>&#160; </span>However, they all belong to the genus <em>Tegenaria</em>.<span>&#160; </span>They are around all year, but are most commonly encountered between August and October when the fully grown males set out to find love.<span>&#160; </span>This is when they are most likely to run out from under your sofa or turn up in the bath &ndash; just in time for Halloween!&#160; You can find out more here -</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2010/october/house-spiders-prefer-the-shed-shock85297.html">http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2010/october/house-spiders-prefer-the-shed-shock85297.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-2187-27723/2007-1030+Tegenaria+sp.+4+for+web.JPG"><img alt="2007-1030 Tegenaria sp. 4 for web.JPG" class="jive-image" height="337" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-2187-27723/449-337/2007-1030+Tegenaria+sp.+4+for+web.JPG" width="449"/></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal">On a more serious note this little project shows how the identification service records are a mine of fascinating and potentially useful information.<span>&#160; </span>This data also shows that both bee flies and cockchafers emerged significantly earlier in 2011 than 2010, so it would be interesting to see how they fare in 2012 &ndash; keep your enquiries and observations coming in to our forum!</p></div><!-- [DocumentBodyEnd:df9b7ccf-151a-44eb-b4f8-32f99fcc1b9d] -->wildlifespiderbeetleidentificationukflyThu, 19 Jan 2012 15:22:45 GMThttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/community/identification/blog/2012/01/19/to-everything-there-is-a-seasonTipula - Museum ID team2012-01-19T15:22:45Z4 years, 10 months ago20http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/community/identification/blog/comment/to-everything-there-is-a-seasonhttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/community/identification/blog/feeds/comments?blogPost=2187